1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers employed within fabrications having reflective layers formed therein. More particularly, the present invention relates to organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers employed within fabrications having reflective layers formed therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microelectronics fabrications are formed from microelectronics substrates over which are formed patterned microelectronics conductor layers which are separated by microelectronics dielectric layers.
In the process of forming patterned microelectronics conductor layers within microelectronics fabrications, as well as forming other patterned reflective layers within microelectronics fabrications, it is common in the art of microelectronics fabrication to employ an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer formed interposed between: (1) a blanket reflective layer from which is formed the patterned reflective layer, such as the patterned conductor layer; and (2) a blanket photoresist layer from which is subsequently formed a patterned photoresist layer which is employed to define the patterned reflective layer, such as the patterned conductor layer. Such blanket anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers are desirable within microelectronics fabrications since they attenuate standing wave reflections from the blanket reflective layer when photoexposing the blanket photoresist layer, which standing wave reflections would otherwise lead to inhomogeneous photoexposures of the blanket photoresist layer and an attendant compromise of the patterned photoresist layer linewidth uniformity and reproducibility, which in turn leads to a correlating compromise of the patterned reflective layer linewidth uniformity and reproducibility.
Although blanket anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers may be formed within microelectronics fabrications from any of several anti-reflective coating (ARC) materials, such as but not limited to inorganic thin film anti-reflective coating (ARC) materials and organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) materials, organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) materials are often preferred when forming anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers within microelectronics fabrications since organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) materials may be coated onto reflective layers within microelectronics fabrications through use of methods analogous or equivalent to methods employed in forming blanket photoresist layers upon those blanket organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers within those microelectronics fabrications.
While anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers formed from organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) materials are thus desirable within the art of microelectronics fabrication, anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers formed from organic polymer anti-reflective coating materials are not formed entirely without problems within microelectronics fabrications.
In particular, it is known in the art of microelectronics fabrication that anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers when formed from polyimide organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) material compositions incorporating dyes, additives and solvents as are appropriate to specific microelectronics fabrications often suffer from problems including but not limited to: (1) void formation, such as pinhole void formation, within the polyimide organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers; and (2) delamination of the polyimide organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers from blanket reflective layers or blanket photoresist layers interposed between which the organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers are formed. Problems such as void formation within polyimide organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers within microelectronics fabrication and delamination of polyimide organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers from adjoining layers within microelectronics fabrications are undesirable within the art of microelectronics fabrication since such problems often contribute to difficulties in ultimately forming patterned reflective layers of uniform and reproducible linewidth within microelectronics fabrications.
It is thus towards the goal of forming organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers within microelectronics fabrications with attenuated void formation within those organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers and with attenuated delamination of those organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers from adjoining layers within the microelectronics fabrications within which are formed those organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers that the present invention is directed.
Various polyimide organic polymers materials, polyimide organic polymer material compositions and uses thereof, have been disclosed in the art of microelectronics fabrication.
For example, Mueller et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,736, discloses a series of hydroxy polyimide organic polymer materials and a series of high temperature positive photoresist compositions which may be formed from the series of hydroxy polyimide organic polymer materials. The hydroxy polyimide organic polymer materials may be synthesized by condensation of an appropriate hydroxy substituted aminophenol with an appropriate dianhydride to form a hydroxy polyimide organic polymer material which may be incorporated into a high temperature positive photoresist composition from which may be formed a high temperature positive photoresist layer which in turn may be developed with an aqueous base developer.
In addition, Maeda et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,935, discloses a method for forming a series of poly(amide)imide precursor polymer materials having pendant hydroxyphenyl groups, where the poly(amide)imide precursor polymer materials may be employed within high temperature photoresist compositions. The high temperature photoresist compositions in turn exhibit excellent shelf stability and good photosensitivity.
Finally, Katou et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,739, which is related to and co-assigned with U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,935, disclose a method for forming a negative photoresist pattern employing a negative photoresist composition formed in part from the poly(amide)imide precursor polymer materials disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,739. The negative photoresist composition additionally employs a quinonediazide in conjunction with a poly(amide)imide precursor polymer material to form the negative photoresist composition having the excellent shelf stability and the good photosensitivity.
Desirable in the art of microelectronics fabrication are methods and materials through which there may be formed organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers within microelectronics fabrications, where the organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers when formed within the microelectronics fabrications have: (1) attenuated pinhole formation within the organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers; and (2) attenuated delamination of the organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers from layers adjoining the organic polymer anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers. It is towards the foregoing goals that the present invention is directed.